Achyranthes AMARANTHACEAE-PHYTOLACCACEAE Phytolacca 



3. Achyranthes Linn. '! 'ij j?, (Niu Hsi Shu) 



Coarse herbs with opposite /vs.: fls. in elongated spikes, deflexed at maturity; 

 bracts and perianth segments spiny; stamens 4-5, the filaments united at the base: 

 fr. an indehiscent 1-seeded utricle. 12 species, tropical and subtropical; 2 in China. 

 (Greek: achuron, chaff; and anthos a flower.) 



Key to the Species 



Staminodes fimbriate : bracteoles ovate, half as long as their spine or 



longer I. A. aspera 



Staminodes toothed : bracteoles usually reduced to a spine, minutely 2- 



auricled at the base 2. A . bidentata 



1. Achyranthes aspera Linn. (M.F.195). Erect herb, 3-10 dm. high; medicinal. 

 Tropical countries; locally in Ku., An. Dry places. 



2. Achyranthes bidentata Blume li-td* (T'u Niu Hsi; Wild-cow Knee) (H.F. 4: 730). 

 Erect herb, to lm.; fls. greenish, VII-XI. Southern and eastern Asia; locally in 

 An., Che., Hup., Ki., Ku. Roadside thickets. Fig. 83. 



4. Alternanthera Forsk. ^Ht- ^I r E (Lien Tzu Ts'ao Shu) 

 Prostrate or spreading herbs with opposite Ivs. : fls. in small white axillary heads, 

 with white bracts; stigmas capitate; anthers 1-cellcd: fr. 1-seeded. About 16 species, 

 tropical and subtropical; 2 in China. (From the Latin terms meaning "alternate" 

 and "anther".) 



1. Alternanthera sessilis R. Br. ^+-^ (Lien Tzu Ts'ao; Lotus-seed Herb) (Mak. 

 F.606). Creeping herb; fls. white, IX. Tropical and subtropical countries; locally 

 in Che., Ku. Moist roadsides and ditchbanks. Fig. 84. 



5. Gomphrena Linn. TBIlM (Ch'ien Jih Hung Shu) 



Erect herbs with thickened nodes and opposite Ivs. : fls. in peduncled heads, often 

 with pink or purple bracts; stigmas bifid; anthers 1-celled: fr. 1-seeded. About 70 

 species, in South America and Australia; one cultivated as an ornamental in China. 

 (The Greek name of a related plant.) 



1. Gomphrena fflobosa Linn. Globe Amaranth f"HH (Ch'ien Jih Hung; Red-for- 

 a-thousand-days) (B.M.356). Bushy herb; fls. white or pink. All warm countries; 

 locally in Ku. Grown for ornament. Fig. 85. 



52. PHYTOLACCACEAE Pokeweed Family fSIM- (Shang Lu K'o) 



Herbs (ours), shrubs or trees, with alternate entire Ivs. : perianth petaloid: fr. a 

 berry. 22 genera with 100 species, in tropical and subtropical America and South 

 Africa; one species cultivated in China. 



1. Phytolacca Linn. Pokeweed ^jlUJil (Shang Lu Shu) 

 Stout erect perennial herbs (ours), shrubs or trees with large Ivs.: fls. small, in 

 terminal racemes; perianth of 5 petaloid sepals; stamens 5-30: fr. a 5-12-celled berry. 

 26 species, mostly American; one cultivated in China. (Greek: phyto, plant; and 

 French: lac, lake (a color) referring to the crimson juice of the berries. 

 1. Phytolacca acinosa Roxb. MW. (Shang Lu) (Mak. F. 604). Stout herb, 1-1.5 m. 

 high; fls. white or pink, V-VII; fr. black, VII-IX; medicinal. Himalayas, eastern 

 Asia; locally in An., Che., Hon., Ki., Ku. Cultivated. Fig. 86. 



1.04 



